


Costs and Benefits

by clairely



Category: Othello - Shakespeare, Star Trek: The Original Series
Genre: Don't Judge, F/M, Gen, Role Reversal, Villain is actually good, this was for a school assignment
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-07
Updated: 2019-05-26
Packaged: 2020-02-27 15:21:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 7,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18741718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clairely/pseuds/clairely
Summary: When Othello comes back triumphantly from a mission that had gone wrong in too many ways (all those children gone) Iago can't take it anymore, can't bear to see everyone worship the "Captain" without looking at the facts... and let's the 'monstrous birth come to light'.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was for a school assignment and so probably really eh, but I need to start posting sometime here and hey, why not kill two birds with one stone?

Othello was barely 5 when he learned the world wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. 

 

In fact, it was his birthday and all he could think about was why there wasn’t anything under the Christmas tree. He had been sitting under the Christmas tree for  _ hours _ and couldn’t find a single present. Laughing, he ran to his mother’s room, thinking it was a joke.  _ Of course, it’s a joke _ , he thought.  _ They’re probably hidden _ . That’s what she did last year. Last year, where his sister bought him a cake and toy sword. Last year, where his family went to the Starfleet museum and sat through his rants about Starfleet heroes. But this year, his sister left. Othello wasn’t sure where, or why, but it seemed to really change his parents. 

 

Flinging open the doors to his mother’s room, Othello expected some sort of surprise.  _ Maybe she’s pranking me. _ Instead, he walks in to see her sitting on the bed, cross-legged, seemingly to be waiting for him.

 

“Hello, my dear son. Please, take a seat”, she said, waving her hand at the floor, serenely, the sentence so out of place compared to her normal vernacular (which usually consisted of curses, insults, and other forms of vulgar speech). 

 

“As you may have noticed, Othello, there is nothing under the Christmas tree.” Othello perked up,  _ maybe now she’s going to tell me she hid them _ . “That’s because there won’t be any presents. Why? Because, son, you’re going to learn to be a man. You can’t weaken yourself by being attached to such luxuries as this.

 

“In the real world, out there, people are going to be finding ways to take advantage of you, exploit you, use you for their own advancement. If you find yourself too attached to someone, something, some… ideal, you’ll be weakened, and unable to fight back. And so son, today, the day you have officially survived for five years, exactly one thousand eight hundred and twenty-five days, makes the day you’ll become a man”, she said, without pausing to let Othello interrupt. “Ok, speech over? You understan’? ‘Kay, Martha! You bumbling idiot, get me a drink! Or two! What’s with the confuse-fusion, I need a drink!” As Martha quickly left the room in search of another bottle of alcohol, Othello’s mother flopped back on her bed.

 

Utterly confused, Othello just stared at his mother in shock, still stuck on the fact  _ there won’t be presents today _ . Backing out the door and tears blurring his vision, Othello turned tail and  _ ran _ .


	2. Life was really a funny thing...

Life was really a funny thing. Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better… it did. Of course, no one ever said that, but Iago couldn’t be happier. After getting accepted into Midwood Prep,  _ the school _ to attend get into Starfleet, his prototype for treating depression with magnets won the Young Inventors Award. Now that was an achievement to be proud of.

 

Of course, his father didn’t care. He never seemed to care. But Iago understood, his father was busy working in the labs and meeting with politicians to make sure the Carbonell family kept its wealth and power. 

 

Really, Iago appreciated it. And plus, what difference did it make? He had his friends, he had people in the household caring for him, there was nothing more he could ask for. 

 

And his mother? Well, his mother was another story. She was always just  _ there _ . It seemed she was either shadowing him (which was creepy) or just always happened to be a few meters away. And whenever asked about it, Maria Carbonell would just twitch her lips into a smile and say “ _ It’s a secret _ :”. It was confusing, to say the least, but Iago never really understood the people of his mother’s gender.

 

He had been personally invited to join Midwood Prep by its more famous professor, Professor Karidian. He was renowned for his research in neuroeconomics and statistics, and his ability to combine different studies into a coherent theory.

 

By the time Iago had signed up for all his classes and settled in, he had a camaraderie with the Professor, who seemed to really like him.

 

“Life is just an extended economics simulation.  Every interaction that occurs between people is, essentially, an exchange of goods and services. Take, for example, this interaction we are having right now. The residents of the Federation pay taxes to fund the schooling system under the assumption that investing in the education of you and your classmates as resources will eventually benefit them in return when you contribute to the settlement and to the galaxy as a whole.”

 

“Then, when you give me these private lessons…

 

The professor smiled. “I am investing in you, specifically, as a commodity that I am certain will eventually compensate me, specifically, for my efforts.

 

“This is simply the basic mechanism underlying all interactions and relationships. All of our decisions are, at their hearts, cost-benefit analyses. Even the most dedicated spouse will leave if his or her partner poses too much of a cost in contrast to the benefit. The more you experience, Iago, the more you will see this is true.”

 

“But-but what about love? People don’t think of love as simply a commodity, do they?”

 

“They do, and love is a very valuable commodity. People pay great prices – millions of credits, decades of their lives – to achieve certain feelings: feeling honored and honorable, feeling that they belong. However, even the commodity of love cannot override the laws of economy.”

 

Iago hadn’t responded and Professor Karidian continued, “Everything has a price that humans spend their lives paying. The only difference is how much someone is willing to give for the potential gain.”

 

Iago didn’t know what he thought of that but didn’t want to argue. After all, Karidian should be right, right? He was always talking about logic and how people should think analytically, and see where it got him! He was the most acclaimed professor, ever, and to him, a father of sorts. So he just nodded and stayed silent.


	3. Running...........

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeah this is a really short chapter but oh well whoops

Running. Running was everything and nothing. Everything, because his life depended on it. Nothing, because it required nothing, make him think of nothing, made him  _ focus _ . He had been running since he was five.

 

At this moment, he was running from a group of stupid jerks who’d stolen his school lunch and Othello, having had enough, told them exactly where to shove it. Not liking his “attitude”, they decided to “teach him some respect”, namely pushing him against the outdated invisible fence, face first. And so he ran, ran out of the school and through the wheat fields in Nowhere, Nowhere, until the boys couldn’t run anymore.

 

Running got him everywhere. He made it to high school running. Running track, running from jerks who liked his brown skin a little too much, running from his constantly  _ drunk mother _ . 

 

It was that breathless sensation of wind hitting against your skin, with nowhere to go but forwards, forwards as far as you could see. And you could run, without having some stupid skillset that every other thing required.

 

But running got him nowhere. Here he was, stuck in Auburn, Alabama, with nowhere to go.

 

But oh, did he dream. He dreamt every night, of being a hero, a hero like  _ Captain Kirk _ , both of them. A hero, like Pike and Barnett and even Khan.  _ Wouldn’t it be amazing for everyone to just look at you in awe… with  _ **_respect_ ** . He fantasized stopping a civil war and being interviewed by all the big hologram telecasters. There was nothing Othello wanted more than to be famous, popular,  _ liked _ . 


	4. Iago 2.0

Iago should have seen this coming from miles away. He’d just been blinded by Karidian’s fame to actually notice his flaws. 

 

Karidian had started being more aggressive in their daily meetings, asking more personal questions and talking about controversial issues, diverging from the topic at hand.

 

_ Iago skidded to a stop after he ran through the door to Karidian’s office, panting. “Sorry I’m late, the lab manager wanted me to stay extra to build him a prosthetic arm for some project.” _

 

_ Karidian had smiled, almost indulgently. “Do not worry, Iago. I will not punish you for being late. But remember, in life, no one wants to know why you were late. They only want you to be on time.” _

 

_ Iago nodded, relieved that he was off the hook. He had been excited for today the entire week because they were going to go over conditional probability and bias. “I finished the assignment you gave last week? About Darwin’s theory of natural selection?” _

 

_ Iago would never forget the frown on Karidian’s face. _

 

_ “Ahh, did I tell you to turn it on next week? But no matter, we can talk about it today. You see, the theory of natural selection has been buried under other sciences and theories. And with all this new technology developed and how easy it is to support another human being, there really isn’t any natural selection. But, as I’m sure the assignment helped you understand, sometimes we have to synthetically enforce natural selection, as that is the only way for humans, and the Federation as a whole, to prosper.” _

 

_ Iago struggled to hide his disappointment. He had been looking forward to today, but he knew that once Karidian strayed off on a tangent, there was no going back to the original path.  _

 

_ “Are you suggesting that there should still be natural selection today?” _

 

_ Karidian had nodded. “I knew you’d get it! I’m very proud of you, Iago. Now, I’m a bit tired, and I’ll have to end our session early today. Here, read this book. It’s by a famous journalist, Kevles, about genetics and heredity.” _

 

Iago cursed himself. He should have seen the signs! Karidian had literally handed him a book about Eugenics and he just took the book like the professor was handing him a treasure!

 

A few months into his third year at the school, Professor Karidian had released a bunch of information about certain students in the school. The info dump contained health reports, grades, addresses, passwords… everything. About a third of the school was affected, and since Midwood Prep was such a well-known school, people immediately targeting the students and their families. Students’ parents were murdered or robbed, students were kidnapped, others were ridiculed for their grades or physicals… it was a nightmare.

 

Karidian never apologized. In fact, he seemed pleased that this was the outcome like he was expecting this. 

 

Iago stormed into the man’s office, hoping to get answers because of his connection. 

 

“Why in Hades did you do that? This was all uncalled for! These students are being hurt, and all you do is smile?”

 

Karidian gave him a disappointed smile. “I thought I had taught you. Do you remember that Kavles book? These people are inhibiting the betterment of this school and the Federation in general. As all students of Midwood graduate to Starfleet, I’m looking out for everyone who will inevitably put their lives in the hands of these incompetent students.”

 

“But you don’t get to decide who’s superior and who’s not! It’s not your choice! And don’t think I haven’t noticed you targeted the Orions as a species. You’re being xenophobic! You don’t get to play god, natural selection is just that. Natural!” Iago yelled, frustrated that Karidian didn’t see what he had done. 

 

Iago never saw the hand flying towards his face, so his face snapped to the side after Karidian slapped him in the face.

 

“Be careful of your attitude, boy. I didn’t put you on the list because I thought you had potential. Don’t take advantage of that trust. Now leave!” Karidian kicked him out the door and slammed it behind him.

 

Iago decided to run. The whole school was in an uproar, some students relishing in their newfound power and others trying their best to help the situation. But relatively, everything was going as before, with classes in session and tests still scheduled… Iago knew the calm wouldn’t last.

 

A girl was curled in the corner, holding a wailing baby protectively, as if afraid someone would take it from her.  _ That’s a bit exaggerating, no one’s taking anyone’s baby _ . He still sat down next to her and wordlessly took the baby.

 

“It’s not mine”, she blurted out. “I found it crying somewhere and I picked it up. Her parents probably quit the school after the info dump.”

 

He nodded, but couldn’t fathom why anyone would leave their child alone.

 

_ Love is subject to the rules of economics. When the cost outweighs the benefits, people don’t continue with it _ .

 

Dammit. Karidian had really done a number on him, making him think that. He stood up, decided to take the baby with him. He was done with this school, why not help some poor girl? He had enough money to support an entire family, much less a baby.

 

The girl smiled at him and, standing up, walked away, not looking back. Iago smiled down at the baby before turning and walking off of campus, headed for San Francisco, home of Starfleet Academy.

 


	5. It really was their fault.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok so this is the last short chapter.... we're almost there!

By the time Othello graduated from high school, he was beyond  _ done _ with being stuck in Nowhere, USA. He stole someone’s hovercar (really, it was their fault for not locking it), grabbed his diploma from the flustered teacher, and drove forwards, not looking where he was going, as long as it took him away from that godforsaken city.

 

Now, though, he was confused. How the hell did he end up in London? Like, that didn’t even make  _ sense _ . If his geography lessons were correct, there was a whole body of water between the US and Great Britain, and he didn’t explicitly remember crossing any water.

 

Huh.

 

Maybe some transport shuttle he boarded without bothering to note the destination got him here. Not that it mattered, really. 

 

He stole some poor sucker’s wallet. (It was her fault, really. Who uses wallets anymore?) Anyways, the wallet had enough money to last him weeks and a piece of cloth with a drawing of a strawberry on it folded into one of the pockets. It was well-worn and obviously a child’s gift to their parent. Othello felt a flash of annoyance at that. The world really couldn’t resist giving him another reminder that his parents sucked, did it? 

 

His PADD pinged.  _ A message _ . It read:   
  


_ Dear sir, _

 

_ I regret to inform you that Mrs. Nviskah has passed away in her sleep due to breathing complications. As you were on her list of emergency contacts, you are being informed of this tragic event. If you wish to learn more, please reply so we can confirm your identity. _

 

_ Once again, I understand that this is a very unfortunate happenstance and you will need some time to process this information.  _

 

_ Thank you. _

 

And so, at age 14, Othello lost the last female presence in his life.

 

Not that he really cared.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we finally reach the actual plotty part of the story

“Sir, we’ve received a distress signal from the USS Brabantio”, the young communications officer told the captain.

 

The USS Venetian was on its way to deal with a threat with the Klingons. They had taken the the USS Cyprus hostage and threatened to kill everyone on that ship unless the Federation agreed to their terms. Luckily for Captain Othello, his ship was the closest, which meant this was the perfect chance to prove himself to the world. Who knows? It might even be the second Narada incident, pushing him into fame just like it did Captain Kirk.

 

But if the Venetian stopped to assist the distressed ship, then they wouldn’t make it in time. The Federation had sent other nearby ships for support, and they would then arrive first.  _ Slight problem, here _ . 

 

“Ignore the signal. We’ve got to get to the Klingons. I’m sure there are other ships nearby.”

 

“Sir? The closest ship is a few light-years away, and it would take at least a week for them to arrive to assist”, the navigator chimed in. Othello resisted the urge to roll his eyes.  _ They didn’t get it, did they? That saving the prisoners was more important than aiding the USS Barbantio in whatever muddle they found themselves in? _

 

“Lieutenant Evans, is it?” Othello asked, addressing the communications officer, who nodded, but muttered, “it’s actually Commander”. “I trust you to follow your Captain's orders and ignore the signal. Continue”, he motioned for his pilot to resume warp. Unfortunately, his crew decided it was okay to  _ question _ him and not follow his orders.  _ Idiots, all of them _ .

 

“Captain, it is unwise to ignore the distress signal. The Brabantio has a lower probability of surviving their ordeal than the Cyprus does. Especially as there are numerous starships headed towards the Klingon planet.” Ugh. Commander Iago, the constant thorn in his side. Couldn’t the goddamned hobgoblin take a break for once?

 

“This action is unacceptable. Are you all questioning my authority? I’m going to say this one last time. Lieutenant Cassio, please resume warp.” Lucky for him, the pilot nodded without a word and did as he asked. The rest of the bridge frowned in disapproval, obviously distressed that their Captain wasn’t acting  _ morally _ . 

 

Whatever. Othello pushed the incident to the back of his head and began planning how he would deal with the Klingons. Should he fly in, guns ablazing? Or lead a stealth mission to rescue the hostages? He was tempted to ask his first officer but stopped himself as he reached for his comm. Commander Iago would just silently judge him for ignoring the distress call and proceed to spout off probabilities like a freaking calculator.

 

Huh. What about Lieutenant Cassio, the pilot? He seemed to have a good head on his shoulders, as his hometown used to say.  _ At least he understood the importance of not assisting that ship _ . 

 

“Cassio. Please report to my ready room at the end of the beta shift.” He immediately received a affirmative response. Othello grinned.  _ This could be the start of a friendship _ . 

 

When they arrived at the Klingon planet, Othello and Cassio had agreed on flying in and attacking the Klingons head on. Cassio had told him that the Klingons would no doubt find them if they decided to go stealth. It was basically common knowledge now that the Klingons had pretty awesome technology, so could no doubt detect their ship even with cloaking technology.

 

Othello was getting antsy. He was  _ so _ close to getting everything he’d ever dreamed of. He was one step from being another Kirk (both of them), a hero, praised and honored throughout the Federation, and feared by all those who crossed his path.

 

Sauntering onto the bridge, he heard the navigator yell “Captain on the bridge” and all conversation came to a halt. The ship’s Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Desdemona, was on the bridge, talking to Cassio about something.  _ Huh, since when did I get to a first name basis with Cassio? _

 

Desdemona turned to look at him, and Othello once again had to repress the urge to go and kiss her. She was so perfect and beautiful, and just as Othello started stammering out a greeting, she had disappeared into the turbolift and was gone. Confused, he looked to Cassio in askance.

 

“Sir? She was just asking why we never came to the assistance of the USS Brabantio. Her father is the Captain of the starship,” he explained. Othello groaned. Just as he thought he could build some sort of relationship with the beautiful CMO, something happened. He hoped she wasn’t going to hate him for this, and even if she did, it wasn’t necessarily his fault. If Cassio hadn’t agreed then maybe he would have relented. He turned to go talk to Desdemona in the infirmary when the ship shook.

 

“Iago. Report, what’s going on?” he barked, immediately on edge. Desdemona would have to wait.

 

“Captain, it seems the Klingons are unwilling to let us resolve this peacefully, and have launched an attack on us. The probability of our shields surviving another attack is 46.7%”, the first officer said, calmly.

 

“I don’t need your stupid percentages, dammit! I can calculate them on my own!” The damned Vulcan just raised an eyebrow, as if saying he couldn’t figure them out himself. Everyone thought that, and Othello had an inkling why.  _ Just because I don’t have the pale skin like the Vulcans they think I can’t calculate basic math _ .

 

“Crichton, map a route to avoid the projectiles. Evans, I want you to send a message to both the Federation and the Klingons. Cassio, can you work with Crichton on that route?” Othello barked, yelling out orders. 

 

“Sir, there is an incoming call from the Klingons.”

 

“Put it on. I want to show them we’re not afraid of them.” The officer obeyed, projecting the call.

 

“Hello Federation officers of the USS Venetian”, the Klingon started, looking at them like they were a piece of gum stuck to the bottom of his shoe, “I see you have come to aid your vellow ship. As I hope ve have made abundantly clear, ve have demands to be met in order for the USS Ceeprus to be released into vour care.” Othello couldn’t resist a snicker. Was this Klingon speaking Russian?

 

“And what does the high and mighty Klingon empire want from the Federation?” Othello made sure to make the derision obvious, to show he isn’t afraid, that this was all going according to plan.

 

“The Klingon Emperor demands you hand over anyvone on vour sheep under the age of twenty.”

 

He stilled.  _ What? _ What use did the Klingons have of children? It wasn’t like the USS Venetian was some haven for children. He felt his first officer stiffen next to him. 

 

_ Oh _ .

 

Iago had a teenage daughter and toddler son.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> eep! two chapters!

Othello knew this would tear his first officer apart, and knew what it felt when it seemed like your parents didn’t want you. 

 

“Would there be any other way for us to meet your demands? Our ship doesn’t have many children and I’m sure they won’t be of much use to you,” Othello tried. The Klingon grinned, apparently noticing Iago’s response.

 

“No. As ve have said, you will meet these demands or the officers of the USS Ceeprus will never see the light of day”, the Klingon said, smugly. “Unless…”, he trailed off.

 

“Unless what? Do tell, I’m sure we will be more than willing to fulfill that request instead.”

 

“Unless you, Captain, agree to come alone for negotiations.” Othello panicked.  _ No, nonono-no he isn’t-no _ ,  _ he knew he couldn’t turn himself in-he wouldn’t survive! There was no way it would be a win-win situation if he turned himself it. The Klingons would just attack the ship again, this time with no resistance because the ship wouldn’t have him as Captain and then there would be two ships kept hostage and the Federation _ \-- Othello felt himself fall into a panic attack. Fortunately, his first officer stepped in.

 

“Perhaps you would give us a moment to decide?”, Iago inquired. The Klingon nodded and smirked, ending the connection.

 

“Sir? Are you alright?”, Cassio asked. Othello nodded, having gotten ahold of himself. 

 

“I want all officers that will be affected by their demands to come to the bridge. Now!” It was out of the question for Othello to meet them alone, so he had no choice but hand over the children. Iago shot him a betrayed look, and the communications officer (Evans, was it?) grimaced, thinking about her own daughter that she left planetside.

 

By the time all officers with children (really, it was only like ten people, two commanders, and Cadets the rest of them) had reported to them, Othello had steeled himself for the upcoming talk.

 

“Captain, may I give a suggestion? Perhaps we can lie about the presence of children aboard, thereby reducing the number of casualties,” Iago suggested. Othello nodded, that sounded reasonable. 

 

“Why can’t you just go and meet them for negotiations? Why do  _ I _ have to give up Emily?”, a disgruntled Cadet asked. 

 

Othello looked at him, unimpressed. “Sometimes you have to make the sacrifice play. Lay yourself on the wire so others can make it. And I promise to try my hardest to save your Emily.”

 

“Yeah, like you’re doing anything other than saving your own hide”, another Cadet muttered. Othello frowned. Why couldn’t they see that his survival was key? He looked to Iago for support, but the Commander looked away.  _ Of course, the Vulcan agrees _ .

 

“Iago? Are you the logical one here? Being a Vulcan and all that? Can you explain to these young men that this is the only thing we can do now?” Iago just looked at him in surprise and confusion.

 

“Vulcan?”

 

“Yeah! Are you not aware that you are a Vulcan?”

 

“In what form have I informed you that I am a Vulcan?”

 

“Bu-but then why do you always spout out all these numbers and statistics and talk like, like that?”, Othello gestured wildly.

 

“I used to be a mathematician before I joined Starfleet, and I did extensive research on statistics and logic. It had nothing to do with my lineage or species.” Flabbergasted, Othello found himself at a loss for words.

 

“Oh, then, in that case, could you still explain why I have to do this? Why we must sacrifice in order to gain?”

 

_ Life is economics. There is a cost to every benefit. A payment for every commodity, even love. _

 

Iago blanched, shaking his head at the memory of Karidian. Even years after his last contact with Karidian (he had stormed into the Academy and threatened Iago at phaser-point, asking for information on something he couldn’t recall), the professor was still plaguing his memories.

 

“Iago? Fine, if you don’t want to explain, so be it. Cadets, please understand. This is a very unfortunate situation, and the only way for us to maneuver out of it is to play into their hands.”

 

They ended up giving the Klingons five children, including Iago’s youngest son. Iago had protested loudly, but he had no choice put hand them over, lest he be reported for insubordination.

 

_ “Love, even a parent’s love for their child, is balanced. When caring for a child without the potential benefit of the child providing for them later, most parents give up on their child,” Karidian had said on a walk through the school garden. Iago couldn’t help but think of his parents’ distance. Maybe he wasn’t worth the cost? _

 

When he watched the officers of the USS Cyprus cry from the joy of being free again, Iago couldn’t help but resent their happiness. When he watched Othello receive praise and adulation for his heroic acts, Iago couldn’t help but resent the Captain’s praise.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ok, last chapter... hope you like it! I know this whole thing probably isn't that good -- but eh

“Lieutenant Cassio, please come up”, Admiral Barnett booms, holding a medal. “Through commendation of your peers and Captain, you have proven yourself worthy of the title of Commander and as the first officer aboard the USS Venetian.”

 

Iago almost fell out of his chair at that.  _ First officer? _ Wasn’t he the first officer? Since when did he get demoted? 

 

Life was still quite a funny thing, but the humor was getting old. Just as Iago thought his life couldn’t be worse, it did. Emilia, his wife, had “taken a break” with their marriage after losing his son. While the child wasn’t her child, per se, she had taken care of Charles as if he were her son, and she had broken when she saw Iago walk off the ship alone, hand holding nothing but a duffel bag.

 

And now? Now, he was getting demoted because Cassio had kissed up to Othello and decided that an entire ship of officers wasn’t worth saving. Desdemona had been sobbing after the news came that the USS Brabantio had been attacked by a Romulan pirate ship and exploded after it’s last dilithium crystal was stolen, but no one seemed to care about that. Everyone was obsessed over the fact that Captain Othello had saved the USS Cyprus, no one bothering to care about anything else.

 

Iago tried to comfort Desdemona, but she lashed out, blaming him for the death of her father.  _ He _ didn’t stop the ship.  _ He _ didn’t put up a fight.  _ He _ didn’t question the orders. 

 

He figured she was right. There was so much he could have done. At night, he laid awake replaying that moment, over and over again, calculating and recalculating different scenarios.

 

_ He pinches Othello in the neck and proceeds to command the bridge to turn and save the ship. Instead, they call security and he’s led away to the bridge.  _ Rewind.

 

_ He turns and pleads Cassio and Crichton, pilot and navigator, to turn and save the ship full of humans and Vulcans and Andorians… Cassio doesn’t listen, and Crichton, still a young graduate, meekly follows the orders.  _ Rewind.

 

_ He _ \--

 

Iago steels himself, promising retribution for all the lives lost and for the children he lost,  _ EmilyKevinSamaelBlakeCharles _ , the people he couldn’t save, the people he failed. 

 

_ You know what, Othello? I want you to know what you did. And what better than to do it in space?  _ A grin spreads across his face.

 

_ Hell and night must work to bring this monstrous birth to the world’s light _ .

 

\-----

 

**Step 1** : Get Othello to trust him, preferably by bringing Desdemona and Othello together. (Ahh, the irony.)

 

He first invites Othello to join one of his and Desdemona’s lunch dates, asking Othello to regale them with tales of his exploits before Starfleet. Iago could see the awe on Desdemona’s face and has to push down his disgust at her blatant ignoring of her father’s death.

 

He pretends to be a friend to both, playing “matchmaker”. Lunch dates over food from the replicators aren’t enough, he knows. Everything those machines produce taste the same, so he rewires some of them to use ingredients he brought from home and serves chocolate cake one night. 

 

Desdemona loves it, and Iago retires early for that night.

 

The next morning, Othello is practically glowing.

 

Cheers.

 

**Step 1.5** : Get rid of the annoying science officer, Lieutenant Roderigo. 

 

Roderigo was an idiot. Couldn’t he see that Desdemona was not interested in him in any way?

 

The good thing was, Roderigo wasn’t in it for her looks. No, Roderigo had a nerd crush on Desdemona and her brain. (Iago figured it made sense. She was CMO of a Starship at age 23.)

 

So he plays mediator. 

 

“I’m sure she cares about you. Right now, she’s too enamored by Othello’s fame, but soon she’ll realize her mistake,” he comforts Roderigo, knowing he’s lying. 

 

_ Morals are nothing but a benefit of living an honorable life. You prevent yourself from doing dastardly deeds, and you earn a feeling of fairness. Of goodness _ .

 

So he lies, knowing his moral compass already pointed south from all the blood on his hands.

 

Roderigo, the bloody idiot, believes him.

 

**Step 2** : Bring Cassio into the game.

 

Now here was a part that Iago genuinely enjoyed. Cassio was a lying and manipulative bastard who looked innocent because of his corpulent look. By now, Othello basically was head over heels in gratitude towards Iago for introducing him to Desdemona.

 

_ As if he couldn’t make the advances himself. He probably couldn’t actually. Iago saw the Captain around women. He was either flirting with them or awkwardly avoiding them. Iago wondered if Othello ever knew how to act around women, not that he was to judge. (He generally distrusted them, especially after Emilia left him after Charles) _

 

The only good thing about not being a first officer was he was able to get away with being drunk.

 

And no, not drunk on that disgusting replicator poison.  _ Real stuff _ .

 

And so he invited Cassio over for a drink in the officers’ lounge, offering to sneak him some Russian vodka. Cassio proclaims he never gets drunk. Iago asks if he ever tried Russian vodka, which, unsurprisingly, Cassio hasn’t.

 

_ He’s like a kitten. Too cute and innocent for his own good and following Othello around like some lost puppy.  _

 

Cassio promptly gets drunk and starts weeping his sorrows to Iago. It was 1 AM and the only people consistently up then were the engineers - it’s a universally acknowledged fact. The engineers crowd around Cassio, drunkenly cheering him on as Cassio starting singing/yelling some old song.

 

_ You made me a, you made me a, beleva, beliver, _

_ Ya, you-you break me down and build me uuup _ .

 

Iago’s lips curl in disgust. Cassio just ruined a perfectly good song for him by singing it. Apparently, some engineer agrees with him, and takes a wild swing at his face, yelling something incoherent about “respecting the Imaging Dragons”.

 

Cassio takes offense and grabs the nearest thing, which conveniently is a butter knife.  _ Iago had actually accidentally left it there after eating his bagel, but hey! If the shoe fits! _

 

Everyone stop yelling. Turns out Cassio wasn’t that bad of a marksman, because he had thrown the knife at the engineer, which Iago learns is Roderigo.  _ Him again _ . Iago can’t help but laugh at the absurdity of it all (people yelling around two people in a ring, it’s like those old holograms of secret spies and Avengers or whatnot). 

 

By the time Captain Othello walks in, everyone’s laughing except Iago, who’s long gotten over it. He’s leaning over Roderigo and trying to bandage the wound.

 

“What in bloody hell is going on here?”, Othello yells. Some people snicker, not missing his English accent. Iago stands up and gives him a report on what happened. If he slightly exaggerates what Cassio did, well, Iago wasn’t above being petty.

 

Angered, Othello reaches over to grab Cassio by the collar. He’s already vomiting all over the floor and was obviously feeling the effects of downing half a bottle of strong Balenkaya.

 

“Commander Cassio, would you please tell me what, exactly, you were doing?” Othello is barely repressing his anger. Iago smiles, at both Othello’s hold on his emotions and Cassio’s imminent doom.

 

“Si-sir, I was just taking a break and I remember singing an-and throwing up”, Cassio threw up again, this time right on Othello’s shoes. The engineers are quiet, and some have backed out of the lounge in an effort to get away from the Captain’s ire.

 

“Do you remember stabbing Roderigo? With a knife?”

 

“Sir, I never expected for it to hit him. It was just a butter knife.”

 

“I see. So I should just let you go because it was just a butter knife and not, say, a throwing knife?” Cassio nods eagerly, relieved that Othello understands. Iago snickers at the side, knowing exactly where this is going.

 

“And how much did you drink to get so drunk, huh? Last time I checked, the bloody replicator makes water mixed with antiseptic.”

 

“I promise! I only had two glasses!” Cassio doesn’t brink up Iago, but he appreciates. He wants to be as disconnected as possible from the situation.

 

“You’re delusional and irresponsible for having enough replicator booze to get drunk like this. Through Starfleet Regulation 104C, your position as Commander and First officer is suspended until you can properly repent for your actions. Now go, and be glad Iago was here to prevent him from bleeding out”, Othello says, pointing to Roderigo on the ground.  _ Leave it to him to not know his science officer’s name _ , Iago thinks, in a strange fit of protectiveness over the scientist.

 

Othello turns to Iago. “Honest Iago, you are now Acting First Officer. Thank you for treating-” “Roderigo.” “Roderigo. Thank you for treating Roderigo. If you can help me bring him to the infirmary?”

 

Iago’s heart leaps at that.  _ Back to First Officer _ . 

 

**Step 3** : Get Desdemona to help Cassio.

 

After all, wasn’t Iago Desdemona’s first friend on the Venetian? 

 

“Good morning, Dessy! How is being CMO of this beautiful lady treating you?”  _ How is Othello treating you _ , goes unsaid.

 

“Amazing! I’ve always dreamed of this, even as a student!”  _ This is the romance I’ve always waited for _ .

 

“Good to hear. Did you hear about the Cassio situation?”, Iago asks, adding in a slight grimace to show his sympathy. She nods, frowning slightly.

 

“I don’t think Othello is dealing with this situation correctly. Cassio just got drunk and all. Not that I mean you shouldn’t be XO, just that this isn’t fair.” Iago nods, but can’t help but feel betrayed.  _ Of course, she’s on Cassio’s side, even if he condemned her father to death. _

 

“You could always talk to Othello. I’m sure he listens to you more than he listens to anyone on the bridge.”

 

The smile on Desdemona’s face gives Iago an idea. He could literally feel the lightbulb flickering on in his head.

 

**Step 4 (edited)** : Make Othello jealous.

 

This was easy. Apparently, Othello always carried with him a leather wallet. (I mean, who uses wallets these days?)

 

Once, on a rather boring mission, Othello showed him what was inside. Other than a few credits, the only thing of note was a worn handkerchief with a picture of two strawberries imprinted on it. Othello was planning on giving it to Desdemona on their anniversary, and Iago resisted the urge to gag at the blatant romanticism.

 

Desdemona loses the handkerchief in a week. She’s always been a bit forgetful, especially when it counted. They were on shore leave, on Earth, and Emilia was visiting. She had decided to forgive Iago and had taken to the carefree CMO immediately. 

 

Cassio, unlucky him, finds it and decides to keep it in his room. When the bridge crew visits a bar, Cassio meets a professional companion (if you know what I mean) he doesn’t bother to learn the name of (Iago does, she’s Helena). She’s smitten, Iago could tell, and Cassio asks her to make a copy of the strawberry handkerchief. When Iago see the cloth, he immediately takes a picture of Cassio holding it. (And if he conveniently includes a picture of a female hand, well, never let it be said Iago wasn’t crafty.)

 

Iago Carbonell : Captain, you should take a look at this picture. Would that happen to be yours? ( _ Read, 9:53 PM) _

 

Othello Nviskah : Where did you find this!??! ( _ Read, 9:54 PM _ )

 

Iago Carbonell : At the bar. You should come and check it out. ( _ Read, 9:54, liked by Othello Nviskah _ )

 

He put down his phone and smiled before excusing himself. No need to be there for the fallout.

 

**Step 5** : Watch it unfold.

 

This was easy.

 

He watches as Othello yell at Cassio. He hints at a possible relationship, ignoring the fact that Helena was nearby.

 

He deals with Roderigo threatening to commit suicide. He understands how Roderigo feels, truly. After the Karidian incident, Iago had trudged back home with the baby girl only to be turned out by his parents.

 

_ “You are a disgrace to the Carbonell family!”, his mother had yelled, mistakenly taking the child for his own. _

 

_ “You don’t deserve to stay in this home. You defiled a poor, young woman, and was behind the Midwood Info Disclosure! I can’t believe you would be even associated with such an atrocious act!” his father roars, blaming the incident on Iago. Shuffling behind his parents is a young girl, staring at him with wide eyes. Apparently, in the years he was gone, his parents had gone and replaced him. Tears sprung in his eyes at the obvious insult. His parents didn’t want him anymore, they had someone else. When the girl looks up at him and says, “Who’re you?”, Iago turns and runs away. _

 

_ For the weeks afterward, Iago had lived on the streets, a great difference from his previous life of luxury. It was summer, so he couldn’t apply (and obviously get accepted) to Starfleet. The baby wailed every night and it was impossible to feed himself and Natasha (he named her after a woman who let him stay at her home for a few days when her husband was away) without resorting to slightly illegal deeds. _

 

_ By the time the Starfleet recruiter met him, Iago had been awake for three days after Natasha got a bad case of the flu and was extremely hungry. Iago likes to think the only reason the man didn’t turn him away as another homeless wannabe was the hopeful look in Natasha’s eyes. (Because why else would anyone help him?) _

 

_ In that period of personal hell, Iago had attempted multiple times. The first time, he was stopped by the kind man at the bakery, who fed him a piece of bread before being yelled at his wife. It was then he decided to not trust women, they didn’t seem to want to listen to your story. _

 

_ The second time, Natasha had been particularly loud and a group of people came to try and shut her up. In a fit of panic and rage, Iago threw himself in front of the bullet, but it fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it) only grazed his shoulder. _

 

He felt bad laughing at Roderigo about it, but he knew it was the only way. Roderigo did everything for someone else’s approval (read: Desdemona), and couldn’t stand the fact that Iago thought he was weak.

 

Iago gave him a purpose, knowing that was the only way for it to work. He never expected Roderigo to go with it! The next thing he knew, Roderigo was dead and Cassio crippled. He couldn’t help but think it was his fault if maybe he had done something else Roderigo wouldn’t have been so eager to die. To become another red mark in his ledger.

 

When he hears Othello killed Desdemona and committed suicide, he thinks,  _ finally, this chapter of my life is over _ .

 

When Cassio is convicted of slander and misconduct, Iago is once again in the audience, this time watching Cassio lose his command and rank.

 

In the end, Iago gets command of the USS Venetian, and first thing he does? He learns the name of each and every officer and Cadet and child on board.

 

Even the redshirts.


End file.
